Be A Master in Ethics: Let Not Be A Puja Singhal

*** Be A Master in Ethics: Let Not Be A Puja Singhal ***

***Part of the syllabus:Attitude: content, structure, function; its influence and relation with thought and behaviour; moral and 

political attitudes; social influence and persuasion.

*Moral attitude: What you think about moral issues. Attitude is what you feel about an issue. Moral issues are debated in society. E.g. Euthanasia,honor killing,Capital punishment,homosexuality etc.

*Political attitude: Attitude towards political issues. E.g. NOTA,reservation for women etc.

*Persuation: The act of pursuading someone to do something or to believe something.

Q)Besides domain knowledge, a public official needs innovativeness and creativity of a high order as well, while resolving ethical dilemmas. Discuss with suitable example.

(Answer in 150 words)

UPSC CSE 2021

Ans: A public servant works in different domains e.g. implementation of welfare schemes,law and order,magisterial activities,Engineering,Medicine,agriculture etc.

Domain Knowledge---->In depth knowledge of a particular sector e.g. E. Sreedharan's knowledge of metro rail project

    -------->Fault detection becomes easier.

    --------->A futuristic view point

A good domain knowledge distinguishes a public servant from his peers.

Ethical dilemmas faced by a public servant are as below:

1)Favouritism: Favouring one's near and dear ones although not suitable. E.g. providing houses to known persons under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana although not eligible.

2)Nepotism: Using official power to help close relatives. E.g. Giving a govt contract to one's brother.

3)Political Pressure: Evil spirited politicians pressurise public servants to work as per his/her terms. This results in moral degradation.

4) A good listening capacity: Public servants need to listen to all kinds of advice/suggestions of people.

Etc etc.

**Innovativeness is the quality to invent something. A public servant learns from his experience and innovate better governance,way of working and ways to get rid of ethical conflicts in professional life. E.g. Supreme court's innovation that open competition is better than license raj.

**Acumen of innovativeness leads to creativity. It means understanding the problem,innovate a solution and create a model to fructify that solution.

E.g. Supreme Court created auctioning of coal block against licensing to increase revenue for the exchequer.

**Way Forward:

Ethical dilemmas in Work place can be handled by high morality,strong value system,emotional intelligence and good communication skill.

By,Hemen Sarma,Civil Service School

70024-05918(Telegram/WhatsApp)

Target Exam: UPSC CSE/APSC-CCE Mains(Ethics GS 4)

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